GREENSBORO, N.C. — The hurricane Ida damage video sometimes goes by so fast, you have to put it in slow motion to know what you're looking at. The drone video from CBS News shows houses with the roofs off, exposing part or all of what's inside the home. Now begins the process of making insurance claims.
The folks in Louisiana will need documents to prove who they are and their policy numbers, but in some of these instances, those documents are literally blowing in the wind. It’s too late for those in LA to heed the IRS warning for a document preparedness plan.
DOCUMENT PREPAREDNESS PLAN
Keep documents in a waterproof/fireproof place.
Have duplicates kept in a safety deposit box or with a trusted person outside the area you live.
Use a scanner and save the documents on a flash drive, on a CD, or create an online folder of them & email them to yourself.
DOCUMENTS TO HAVE ON HAND
Tax returns, birth certificates, deeds, titles, insurance policies
HOME INVENTORY
Knowing what was in your house and what needs to be replaced by insurance is overwhelming after a weather event or a house fire.
So now, while things are calm, do a home inventory.
It doesn't have to be complicated, use the camera on your phone. Open up closets, cabinets, drawers. Walk around your home and describe everything you would want to replace, taking note of the make and model of appliances and electronics. It's easier to reference this video than try to remember everything.